Changes to brain's memory centre to prolonged pain influence depression: Study

Changes to ones hippocampus the brains memory centre in response to prolonged pain could be an important factor for why some people develop depression in chronic pain while others do not according to a studyOur findings suggest that the hippocampus acts as a control centre that helps the brain regulate emotional responses to longterm pain Depression is not inevitable it depends on how this system responds over time colead author Jianfeng Feng professor of computer science at the UKs University of Warwick saidThe study published in the journal Science analysed brain scans from population cohorts including data from the UK Biobank and a rodent model People living with chronic pain but without depression tended to show a slightly larger volume of and an increased activity in the hippocampusThe changes were accompanied by an improved performance in learning and memory tasks suggesting that the brain may initially mount a compensatory response to persistent pain the researchers saidHowever individuals experiencing both chronic pain and depression showed a reduced volume of the hippocampus disrupted activity and poorer cognitive performance Analyses of data collected over longterm indicated that the changes developed progressively over timeThe fact that these changes emerge gradually suggests they are driven by the experience of prolonged pain itself This isnt simply a preexisting vulnerability its something the brain is doing in response to ongoing pain Feng saidThe authors wrote Integrating human neuroimaging from the UK Biobank with a rodent model we uncovered biphasic hippocampal remodellingHippocampal volume increased during early pain stages with paradoxical cognitive improvements but declined with comorbid depression they saidConducting parallel studies in animal models with chronic pain the researchers found that an increased sensitivity to pain appeared first followed by anxietylike behaviour and later by depressionlike symptomsStructure and activity of the hippocampus gradually changed showing how a prolonged pain can reshape brain circuits involved in emotional regulation they saidA key regulatory hub was found to be located in a subregion of the hippocampus known as the dentate gyrus one of the few areas of an adult brain where new neurons continue to formNewly generated neurons in the dentate gyrus became highly active early in the course of chronic pain suggesting the brain initially attempts to adapt to ongoing stress the researchers saidHowever over time immune cells in the brain called microglia became abnormally activated with a disrupted communication between neurons and microglia marking a tipping point from adaptive processes to dysfunctional signalling they saidSuppressing the abnormal activity in the microglia was seen to improve depressionlike behaviours while overall brain function remained stableWhat this shows is that the brain is not simply overwhelmed by chronic pain It actively tries to regulate emotional wellbeing When that regulatory system remains balanced people can stay resilient Feng saidWhen it becomes disrupted particularly by inflammation in the hippocampus depression can emerge Understanding this process opens new possibilities for early intervention the author saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever